The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-01-24
A TRUE STORY OF THE SEA
How Two Mayors OF New York Escaped from Ship
wreck.

wreck.
From Harper's Weekly.
In his speech at Cooper Union, Mr.
Abram S. Hewitt, then n candidate
for mayor, now mayor-elect, gave q
sketch OF his own life as an answer to
some attacks made upon him as a
erich man." In the course OF these
remarks he said:
II became nearly blind, and was
compelled to pass year in Europe,
for which I paid out OF the earnings
which had laid up from the lessons
had given. On my way home another
accident occurred-the ship on which
| was went to the bottom, and i was
saved by another accident in one oil
the boats OF that ship in company
with man who has been mayor OF
this city, who was and is my friend
and brother, and will be to the end of
my life. I landed in midwinter in a
borrowed suit OF sailors clothes-not
thing OF my own-and l had three
silver dollars in my pocket, which
constituted my entire worldly wealth.
Twas 20 years OF age"
Let the captain OF the rescuing snip
tell the story as he he did few years
ago to little circle OF friends MT a New
York club:
ain 1914 l was commanding the
ship Atlanta, and in the month OF
December OF that year was making q
voyage from Liverpool to New York.
On the 18th was crossing the Gulf
stream, and had got well over it,
when, near evening, saw a ship under
full sail several miles to windward,
and evidently heading for New York,
like myself. My barometer had been
falling rapidly, and as always re.
garded it with great care and obeysd
it's orders, I shortened sail. But l
noticed the stranger kept everything
spread, and when night came on and
hid her from sight she was far of on
the horizon, and didn't appear to
have taken in q stitch OF canvas.
During the night it came on to blow
heavily-a regular cyclone, in fact
and you may be sure was glad | had
taken in sail. 1t only lasted a couple
OF hours or SO, but was very tough as
long as it was on us.
About 8 in the forenoon the watch
reported pieces OF wreck floating on the
water, and an hour later we sighted
q boat and bore down for her. TWAS
as feared; the stranger had founder
ed in the gale, and this was one OF her
boats. ni i-
"She proved to be, or to have been,
the American ship Albanian, Capt.
Hitchcock, from Leghorn to New York,
and besides her officers and crew she
had two passengers in the cabin. She
was under full sail when the wind
struck her, and in very short time
she was an unseaworthy wreck. She
had two boats, one staunch life
boat and the other an old and rotten
long-boat. Lots were drawn for
places and the life-boat fell to the first
officer, while the long.boat went to the
captain. The two cabin passengers
went to the long-beat, and also nine OF
the crew. 1t was the life-boat that |
picked up, with the first officer in COM
mand, and he said they left the ship
at in the morning, and lost sight OF
the long-boat soon after. She was
nearer the ship than they, as the cap
tain had been the last to leave her.
1.-THE weather was cold, and they
suffered considerably from their
cramped positions, but in q little
while after coming on board they were
warmed up and all right. Nothing
could be seen OF the long-boat, and
it was not certain whether she was
still afoat. determined to save her II
possible To do it, and the great ques-
ton was to determine what course to
steer to find her. / reasoned that
Capt. Hitchcock would try TO get out
OF the Gulf stream as soon es he could.
in order to find smoother water, and
after carefully studying the situation
| changed my course in accordance
with this theory. i sent men aloft to
keep sharp lookout, and report the
least sign OF boat, and to watch for
that would indicate she had
gone down and was past all help.
"Noon came. and then / O'Clock, and
then 2, and no signs OF the boat. /
went to the cabin with my first officer
and the officer of the Albanian, and
we held a council. One of them
thought ] ought to run on another
course, and he gave his reasons for it,
and then the other, who had been
on the subject, joined him.
persisted in my belief, and stood
alone in it. Somehow could not see
their reasons as they did, and II the
captain OF the Alabamian had done